Straight to Hart

July 28, 2005

Well, last night at about 12:30 (so technically you could say today) I got back from a little trip to the west side of the state. Rudy (yup the one that lives in Denver) is vacationing over in Hart, MI with her mom’s side of the family. And what a wild bunch of people they are! I was only with them for two and a half days but they made me feel like a part of the family in no time. I got to spend a day at the beach, eat wonderful food (including some of the best sweet corn I have ever had!), sit around a camp fire and make smores (Rudy thanks for teaching my how to make the perfect smore!), go for a boat ride, go to a soft ball game, eat ice cream and play with some of the cutest kids that ever walked the face of the earth (Logan, Tori, and Austin pictured above). Oh and to top it all off, Rudy’s family loves to play cards. Could I ask for more? Cindy (Rudy’s mom) and I kicked some serious butt playing euchre and I learned a new card game called Polish Poker. Man, life is good.

Side note: While I was there I got a phone call from Lynette (my roommate from college) and she is officially filling Gary Swyers’ old job working at Indiana Wesleyan University (where we went to school) as the Director of the Center for Experiential Learning. You go Girl!

A Strole Through the Garden

July 16, 2005
One of my main reasons for returning home was to help my mom with her Garden walk. You see she is trying to raise money to go and see her Compassion child over in Uganda, Africa. My mom has been supporting her for about 14 years and has always wanted to meet her in person.

I am very proud of my mom for putting this whole event together. She put a lot of hours into planning and making crafts to sell. The walk consisted of 5 houses along Anderson Ave. All of the garden owners did a wonderful job and each garden was beautiful with the layout and vibrant colors.

Unfortunately, the day didn’t start out the best. The overcast of clouds was thick and you could tell that rain was coming. And it rained and thundered and yet people still came. It wasn’t a flood of people but little by little people came to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

In the end, at about 3 o’clock the walked ended and the sun broke through the clouds. The walk as a whole was by no means a failure. People came and gave out of the goodness of their hearts

The Road to Indy

July 15, 2005

Well my time in Denver had to come to an end. I had a wonderful time. It is hard to believe I was there for 34 days when originally I was only going to be there about 36 hours. Well, God is still in control and so I have made my way to Indianapolis, Indiana.

On July 11 at 4:30am I hopped on I-70 in Denver. 4 states and about 1100 miles later I got off I-70 and made my way to Jamie Smith’s house. When I first arrived I wasn’t up for much conversation. After sitting 17 hours in a car I still felt like I was in motion and I was very tired. The following days of rain were just what I need to get my energy back. After a movie marathon, some card playing, and visits to old college friends; I was off to visit another college buddy in Indy, Sheena Knotts.

The weather has not been the best during my. It has rained pretty much everyday and the humidity has been out of this world. Especially for a girl who was living in the nice dry west for the past 9 months. Sheena didn’t let the rain get us down though. As a belated birthday present, Sheena (pictured) treated me to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise.

My 4 days in Indiana are up and now it is time to keep moving. The next stop…Home.

Leaving Denver with a Bang…no wait…a CRASH!

July 10, 2005

My last day in Denver was not any less uneventful than the rest. I thought at the beginning of the day that it might turn out to be a nice relaxing, normal day that I could enjoy to the fullest. I don’t know why I allowed that thought to run through my head. I should have laughed when they first entered my mind.

I drove to Church that beautiful Sunday morning. Upon arrival, Rudy told me about her rough morning when she discovered that her car had a flat tire. So after the service I was going to drive her back home to get her fabulous jell-o that she was going to bring to my going away BarBQ back at the house were I was staying.

Well, things took a turn as we headed to Rudy’s house. I was just driving along when a car two cars ahead of me decided to turn on a dime and cause a fast chain reaction. The SUV in front of me was suddenly at a stop. I hit the break hoping to stop in time so I didn’t crash into it. Well we stopped just in time. But unfortunately the car behind me couldn’t say the same thing. A split second after I thought we were in the clear… SQUEEL! CRASH! BANG! THUD… impact.

Well, God was watching out for us because we all walked away without a scratch. I was a little shaken; this was the first accident that I had ever been in. Fortunately the lady was really nice. So we exchanged information and went and filed a report at the police station.

Rudy and I were fashionably late but the food was great and the jell-o arrived still in its jell-o consistency.

The Day I Caused My Mother Great Pain

July 5, 2005

This will forever be the day that I caused my mother great pain, especially in her back. A little confused? Well, 24 years ago on cinco de Julio I was born. And like almost all my birthdays, this was another good one.

The day started out with Rudy, her friend Natalie, and I going to Boulder, CO to do a little bouldering on some boulders. I didn't do very much bouldering. I was too busy taking pictures and doing some easy climbs and a little exploring to see the great view of the city.

After a little shopping in downtown Boulder, we headed to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. We didn't get to far into the Mountains before we had to turn around and make our way back to Denver. But what we saw was so Beautiful! I don't know how anyone couldn't love the mountains.

For Dinner, we met up with Dawn and Laura and Casey and Tim and Liz at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I love that place! If you have never been to one, you need to go. Check out www.osf.com to see the closest location near you.
(Left to Right: Dawn, Rudy, Me, Laura, Natalie)